UFC 195 Review: Could Condit become the first new champion of 2016? Or, will Lawler retain welterweight gold.

Lawler vs MacDonald 2 was 2015's Fight of the Year.

"Beautiful Violence" was the word used by John Gooden in the UFC 195 episode of Inside the Octagon to describe the first title fight of 2016 between "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler and Carlos "The Natural Born Killer" Condit. It certainly seems like a suitable description. Two of the most talented strikers in the welterweight division will come toe-to-toe this Saturday, which makes it seem like it's going to be one hell of a fight. Lawler (26-10) last fought against Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 in July, which won this 2015's Fight of the Year award by MMAFighting after a bloody, messy, end-to-end four round fight was eventually finished off early in the fifth by Robbie. Condit on the other hand has had a 7-month break from the octagon, with his last fight being a TKO win over Thiago Alves in May. The fight was stopped by a doctor after some brutal elbows from Condit caused too much damage to Alves' nose for the fight too continue.

This fight has endless potential to be a great one, as Lawler always "brings it" and the crisp technical striking ability of Condit paints a picture in our head that this fight will be a stand-up war. However, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. Following Lawler's last fight against MacDonald, he has already said that he is "not hoping" for another fight like that last one anytime soon, and who can blame him. Meanwhile, the last southpaw that Condit faced was a fight where he was heavily criticised by many, and lost a lot of fans. 3 years ago Condit faced Nick Diaz for the interim welterweight championship, in which he won by a controversial unanimous decision. Many people thought Condit threw "petty" kicks, and ran from Diaz the whole fight, avoiding any real exchanges and not fighting the way he usually fought. Condit went on to fight GSP for the legitimate welterweight belt, but fell short via a unanimous decision. So in regards to Saturday's title fight, I can see it going one of two ways. A stand up war, although a bit less violent compared to Lawler vs. MacDonald 2, in which I think Lawler will be the victor. Or, Condit fighting the same way he did vs Diaz, and edging a unanimous decision victory. I just hope it's the first option which comes true!

Duffy has looked great in his first two UFC fights.

Now, I usually would focus on the co-main event for the second part of my reviews, or if not, a fight a bit lower down on the main-card that has huge potential. However, that is not going to be the case for this review. A fight which was scheduled to headline UFC Dublin back in October at the 3Arena, is now being placed on the early prelims of UFC 195. Poirier vs. Duffy. Personally, I found this decision quite shocking. 

When you look at the main card of Saturday night's show, apart from the co-main and the main event, nothing really throws you off the edge of your seat. I was extremely surprised that this fight was not placed on the main card. but oh well, at least it is going to happen this time regardless of what time! Duffy has only two fights in the UFC, both against guys who are not even ranked in the top 15 at lightweight. However, he looked extremely impressive in both of those fights, showing off his versatile skillset by finishing both opponents in the first round, one by submission, one by TKO. Following Poirier's loss at featherweight to Conor McGregor, he made the decision to move up to 155 and has never looked back since. 

Like Duffy, Poirier's last two fights have both been round one finishes in impressive fashion. Many fans are curious to who has the advantage on the ground in this bout. With Poirier being a brown belt in BJJ, and Duffy being a black belt in traditional Japanese Jiu-jitsu, it will be interesting to see who attemmpts to take this fight to the ground first. We both know that Poirier and Duffy's stand-up are both very strong, so they may just "bang it out" on the feet. Either way, this fight is certainly going to be a good one, and I feel it is more than worthy of a main card place.

UFC Orlando Review: Rafael Dos Anjos makes light work of Donald Cerrone to defend his belt for the first time ever.

Although he was not in attendance, Conor McGregor was the name on most people's mind at UFC Orlando.

Dos Anjos finished Cerrone in just 66 seconds to defend his belt.

There were many accusations directed towards Rafael Dos Anjos leading up to his title fight against Donald Cerrone on Saturday, but too him, they acted as motivators as he was determined to shut his critics up. Cerrone, who is often labelled as a slow starter in fights, came out apprehensive as expected. Dos Anjos landed a vicious hard knee to the liver of Cerrone, which was ultimately the beginning of the end for "Cowboy." After landing a body kick which hurt Cerrone badly, Dos Anjos showed no mercy by landing a barrage of brutal punches on the injured Cerrone, who impressively stayed on his feet and circled back into the centre of the octagon. However, Dos Anjos did not think twice about letting the dazed Cerrone recover. An attempted takedown from Cerrone allowed "RDA" to take his back, and from there he hammered away at his head and although "Cowboy" was attempting to defend himself, it was clearly not enough and Herb Dean stopped the fight.

Another win for RDA means that his unbeaten streak is now extended to five and his first title defence has proven to many doubters that he is a force to be reckoned with. A perfectly executed game plan to pressure the slow starting Cerrone straight from the off was the key to his victory. So, what's next for Dos Anjos and Cerrone? Well, Dos Anjos was just one of several fighters at UFC Orlando to call out the recently crowned featherweight champion, Conor McGregor, in his octagon interview. McGregor, who is extremely keen on moving up to 155 and becoming a duo-weight champion, has caught the eye of many fighters in the lightweight division, including RDA. "This is my division" claimed Dos Anjos, also stating he would fight McGregor "In Brazil, in Ireland, or wherever he wants." For Cerrone, a potential fight with rising star Tony Ferguson is one that is looking very promising. 

Overeem landing a hard left body kick.

Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem was a fight that should have happened three and a half years ago, but for many endless reasons, it didn't. However, it finally did last Saturday night and it was somewhat of an anti-climax of what everyone expected. Two of the most entertaining heavyweights in the whole sport were finally going to face off, and the stage was set for a compelling match-up. However, a dull start from both fighters, with very few strikes thrown lead to quite a boring first round. Considering the knockout power of both men though, it was quite to hard too blame them for both being hesitant. The second round was more lively though, with Overeem landing a lot of kicks, and with JDS not really throwing anything, it looked like Overeem was about to secure himself another round. Eventually Dos Santos did find an opening and pinned Overeem up against the fence after landing some good punches, but "The Demolition Man" calmly circled back to the centre. Just a few moments later, Overeem unleashed a picture perfect left hook which sent JDS to the canvas and allowed Overeem to follow up with some ground and pound to finish the fight.

A somewhat "boring" first round was the key to Overeem's win, as his patience in this round allowed him to read Dos Santos, and to never let him close the distance. It was a smart game plan once again from Team Jacksonwink, and it lead Overeem to gain his fortieth professional MMA win. This was Overeem's last fight on his UFC contract, which now means he is taking the road that Benson Henderson took in becoming a free agent to play the market. It will be interesting to see where Overeem goes from here, as a win over a top contender like JDS means he could certainly be in line for a title shot, or a number one contender's fight. For Dos Santos, he has never quite looked the same after his most recent to Velasquez, so it will be interesting to see who and when his next fight is against, and to see if he can bounce back from this poor performance.

UFC on FOX 17 Preview: Dos Anjos vs. Cerrone 2

It was the night of August the 28th, 2013 when Rafael Dos Anjos cruised to a unanimous decision victory of Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone. The two will meet again tomorrow night but this time, the lightweight belt will be on the line as Cerrone seeks revenge whilst Dos Anjos looks to defend his belt for this time.

Dos Anjos embracing his title win at UFC 185.

Cerrone, has already fought three times this year, two of those being in the space of fifteen days all the way back in January. Successful in all three, Cerrone looks to make that four as he enters his first UFC title fight ever. For Dos Anjos, only once has he stepped inside the octagon this year, nine months ago back in March when he dominated the former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis for five rounds to secure UFC gold. Often overshadowed by the Jon Jones incident which occurred a few weeks later, many people have forgotten about Dos Anjos' flawless performance that night against a man who had previously only lost once in the UFC before. It has been a great year for Dos Anjos's training camp, Kings MMA, who not only have a new champion in Rafael, but also a new champion in heavyweight Fabricio Werdum, who defeated Cain Velasquez at UFC 188 in Mexico City to secure the second lot of UFC gold for Kings. 

It's not been a bad year for Cerrone's camp either. Training at Jacksonwink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico, they have had great success through recently new UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm, who took gold back to Albuquerque last month when she put an end to Ronda Rousey's reign in magnificent fashion. Cerrone will be looking to top off an excellent year for Jacksonwink, and take home his first ever piece of MMA gold in the process.

Finally, JDS and Overeem will fight on Saturday.

Another man who will be looking to put the icing on the cake for Jacksonwink is experienced kickboxer Alistair Overeem, who finally faces Junior Dos Santos in the co-main event of the evening on Saturday. The two heavyweights where originally planned to fight three and a half years ago, at UFC 146 for the heavyweight belt.  However, Overeem failed his pre-fight drug test due to his testosterone levels proving to be too high. Frank Mir who stepped in to replace Overeem in the main event, and it was Dos Santos who would go on to win by knockout in the second round and defend his belt in the process. The two were then planned to meet at UFC 160, in a heavyweight bout which determine the #1 contender as Dos Santos had by then lost his belt to Cain Velasquez back at UFC 155. Once again the fight did not take place, but luckily for Overeem, the reason was different this time. A leg injury meant that he had to pull out, so Mark Hunt filled in for him. The same outcome as UFC 146, Overeem's replacement was knocked out by Dos Santos, however it was a picture perfect spinning hook kick which sealed this time. And now, we are here. Finally, this highly anticipated match-up which was supposed to occur years ago, will take place tomorrow to most likely determine who will be next in line for a heavyweight title shot.

UFC 200 - The Potentially Record-Breaking Landmark Event.

McGregor finished Aldo in just 13 seconds to become
the new 145-pound champion.

July 9th, 2016. The currently under

construction MGM-AEG Arena. International Fight Week. UFC 200 is "expected to be the biggest event in company history." So let's take a look at the fights which may take place on this potentially record breaking card. Recently crowned the new featherweight champion after knocking out Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds, Conor McGregor has had a heck of journey in the last couple of years. McGregor's coach, John Kavanagh, has just said in an interview with Ariel Helwani on the MMA hour that they hope to fight the winner of Cerrone vs. Dos Anjos 2 for the lightweight belt in March/April time, and then move back down to 145 to defend his title vs Edgar or Aldo at UFC 200 in July.  

However, although McGregor only threw a few punches in his unification fight with Aldo, he will have to undergo an x-ray on his left wrist to determine if any injury was picked up in the short fight. If the results are positive, McGregor must be cleared by a doctor and if not, there will be no contest until June the 12th. This would put ideas of Conor being a duo-weight champion straight out of the window as his planned fight in April time would not be able to take place. Regardless of that, UFC 200 is shaping well for McGregor and it would be hard to imagine that the "biggest event in company history" wouldn't feature their biggest star.

Rousey suffered her first professional MMA loss to
 Holm at UFC 193.

Now, let's move on to a potential re-match of one the biggest upsets in the history of combat sports. Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm 2. 2015 was turning out to be one hell for Rousey. Landing herself roles in several films, appearing on the covers of men's fitness magazines and most importantly dominating every woman that stepped inside the octagon with her.  

That was until UFC 193, November the 14th. In comes 18-time world boxing champion, Holly Holm. She outclassed Rousey in every department, and even took her down in the fight, something the UFC world thought they would never see. This re-match is shaping up well for UFC 200, however one problem is that Holm thinks it is "too far away" and she doesn't want to "wait that long." Also. one thing to take into account is that Rousey is starring in two movies in 2016, "Mile 22" in January and "Roadhouse 2" in March/April time. This means that Rousey will only have around seven weeks to commit to full time training before UFC 200. Is that really enough considering the drastic improvements she evidently needs to make before facing Holm again?  

What other fights would you like to see on the UFC 200 card that would make it the "biggest event in company history?"

 UFC 194: In Pictures

Conor McGregor embracing his travelling Irish fans before his title fight.

Jose Aldo pacing his way to the octagon to defend his belt.

The devastating, precise left hand from McGregor which handed Aldo his first loss in 10 years.

The notorious is victorious.

The now former champ Aldo is left heartbroken from losing his belt in just 13 seconds.

Luke Rockhold landing some brutal ground and pound, in his title fight with Chris Weidman.

Referee Herb Dean comes to Weidman's rescue, and Rockhold is crowned the new 185-pound champion. 

Rockhold poses with his training partners, including the current 205-pound champion Daniel Cormier.

Yoel "Soldier of God" Romero delivers some shots on the ground to Jacare Souza.

Much to Jacare's disappointment, Soldier of God celebrates a split decision victory.

BJJ veteran Demian Maia embraces a battered Gunnar Nelson after a dominant performance.

Hawaiian native Max Holloway proudly raises his states colours after his win over Jeremy Stephens.

All pictures were sourced from: http://www.mmafighting.com/2015/12/12/10014696/ufc-194-photos#5245547

UFC 194: Luke Rockhold ends Chris Weidman's reign to claim Middleweight gold.

Luke Rockhold was "surprised" referee Herb Dean didn't come to Weidman's rescue at the end of round 3, and so were most people watching.

Rockhold's Rejoice.

Luke Rockhold is on cloud nine. He has proved all his doubters wrong, and has finally showed his huge skillset to the world of fight fans. Not to mention that he scooped up the 185-pound belt in the process. The nasty infection of cellulitis couldn't even disturb him from coming into this overwhelming opportunity. Now let's not be silly here. When the name Chris Weidman comes to mind, you instantly think of his outstanding wrestling ability, gritty determination and strong mind-set. Not wheel kicks. Ultimately the downfall of his own performance, the wheel-kick that Weidman threw in that third round was the cause of an onslaught of ruthless ground and pound that Rockhold was about to inflict on the former champ. Not to say that if that lethargic kick wouldn't have been attempted by Weidman that Rockhold wouldn't have put an end to Weidman's unbeaten streak, but it certainly helped.

Rockhold's vicious strikes which almost finished the fight.

New champs and fights to make.

Rockhold now joins Werdum, Lawler and Cormier as former Strikeforce fighters who currently claim UFC gold. In addition to this, the triumphs of Rockhold and McGregor on Saturday night mean there has now been seven new UFC champions across all weight classes in the year of 2015. Who'd have predicted that? And if you did, I bet it was certainly not in the fashion that it occurred. 

So what next? What fights can we put together from this shockingly surreal co-main event at UFC 194? Well, with Yoel Romero winning an extremely tight split decision over Jacare Souza prior to the co-main event of 194, calls all already beckoning for Rockhold vs. Romero in the first quarter of 2016. However, it may not be that simple, as the most recent man to beat Rockhold, Vitor Belfort, has already called him out on Instagram saying "you're still spinning" from Rockhold's 2013 KO loss to Belfort. For Weidman however, an instant rematch against Rockhold is not the case. Being thoroughly outclassed by Rockhold means Weidman will most likely have to fight the likes of Jacare Souza, or maybe even Tim Kennedy before earning another title shot. Rumours were occuring that Weidman had broken his foot in his bout with Rockhold on Saturday, but the x-rays were negative. So like Rockhold, he could potentially fight again in the first quarter of 2016. The unpredictability of the middleweight division just seems to continue in the UFC.

Rockhold embraces his emphatic win, whilst Weidman is left devastated.

A Super Week for Sage

After his 7th MMA win over Cody Pfister on Thursday at UFC Fight Night, Namajunas vs VanZant, the future just gets brighter for rising star Sage Northcutt.

Northcutt finished Pfister early into the secound round.

The 19 year-old has always prided himself as a wrestler, regardless of most of his MMA wins coming from his explosive taekwondo and kickboxing. However, that was not the case against the fellow Texas man Cody Pfister, as Sage locked in a guillotine choke early into the second round to secure his second UFC win. There was an acute bit of controversy though in this bout. In the first round, Pfister had top position over Northcutt, and was dealing some damage, not significant, but still effective.  Although Pfister wasn't dealing any significant damage, he was still landing strikes and transitioning into better positions. Referee Mark Smith decided this was not the case, and the fight was not progressing on the ground, so to many people's shock, he stood the fighters up. Although it didn't have a huge effect on the fight, Northcutt still shot for a takedown straight after the stand up, and it was him who now had gained top position. The second round was much the same. Northcutt shot for a takedown a few seconds in, and then after Pfister attempted to get back to his feet, Northcutt locked in the guillotine choke and gained the win. 

Northcutt with Liddell, Velasquez, Holm and Jacare.

It was nothing short of unusual in Northcutt's octagon interview after adding to his undefeated record. He thanked "Mr White" and "Mr Fertitta" in his overly excessive polite manner, for giving him the chance to fight for the "amazing" UFC Fight Pass. In addition to this, when asked if he wouldn't mind being the face of Fight Pass for a few fights going forward, Northcutt, to his usual extremely enthusiastically manner replied "It'd be awesome, I wouldn't mind that!" A question which would be ludicrous to many others, was countered with nothing but positivity from Northcutt. 

The incredible week just continued to get better for Northcutt. Several posts on his Instagram account show that Northcutt has been hanging out with several UFC greats, such as Cain Velasquez, Holly Holm, and hall of famer Chuck Liddell. Although questioned by many for his unusual excessive positive personality for whatever the situation, the fantastic following of Northcutt lives on.

UFC 194 Main Event: McGregor finishes Aldo in just 13 seconds.

Capitalise. A 'strong' word frequently used by the notorious one throughout his training camp prior to facing Chad back in July. Capitalise on everything. That word is the perfect scenario for what unfolded last night. An overextended left hand from Aldo, capitalised on by McGregor securing him unified 145-pound gold in just 13 seconds, breaking the record previously set by Ronda Rousey for the fastest finish in title fight history. Mind-blowing. The shockingly surreal situation has still not yet sunk in for most UFC fans, but for McGregor, it really wasn't much of a surprise. "I feel him over reacting, over extending, and then being KO’d unconscious. " Conor said in a interview with Gareth A Davies prior to his victorious triumph. This was something McGregor expected, maybe not as early as it occurred in the fight, but it was still what Conor anticipated.

Jose Aldo was clearly heartbroken after being defeated.

It was no surprise that it was the left hand of Conor which ultimately ended the fight. After dropping a couple of hammerfists on the downed Aldo to ensure the task was completed, the travelling Irish crowd was once again sent berserk, deafening the MGM Grand Garden Area with roars of joy as their countryman had once again fulfilled their wishes. McGregor, who was humble in victory, had the up-most respect for Aldo in his post-fight interview. "I feel for Jose, he was a phenomenal champion" Conor said as the deflated Aldo sat distraught on his stool, holding back the tears and trying to come to terms with what had just occurred. 8 consecutive title defences and a legacy of being undefeated for 10 years had just seemed to all crash down and Aldo in that very moment.

So what next? McGregor has already stated that he is extremely keen on moving up to 155, and becoming a 'duo-weight champion.' UFC President Dana White has already stated that if Conor does move up to lightweight, he will fight the winner of Saturday's title fight between Rafael Dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone. However, that does not mean McGregor has any plans to vacate the belt he has just won. With Frankie Edgar coming off an extremely impressive knockout win over Chad Mendes, that may just be enough to keep Mystic Mac at 145 for another fight, even though his coach John Kavanagh has said the weight cut is just 'too much.'

McGregor celebrating the unification of his belt.

For Aldo, he has stated that he wants a rematch, and he will be "better prepared to reclaim what is mine." This may not be the case though due to Edgar's win, as it will most likely shape up to be Frankie that will next fight Conor if he stays at 145. Aldo will certainly need some time off to recover after last night, and even when he is fight again he may have to work his way back up the rankings in order to gain another title shot. Calls of Aldo vs. Mendes 3 have already beckoned, as well as Aldo vs. Holloway. For Mystic-Mac however, the talk continues, and the walk backs it up.

UFC 194 Main Event Preview

Saturday, December 12th, 2015. Arguably the most 'stacked' main card in UFC history, just edging UFC 100, records are set to broken as three outstanding match ups are followed by two tantalizing title fights.

Main Event: Aldo vs. McGregor

Scarface. The Notorious One. A match-up which all UFC fans have been so highly anticipating since McGregor's sudden breakthrough into the sport, this fight is certainly going to bring in some 'numbers' as McGregor would say. The endless press conferences, interviews and tense social media interactions has created a hyper like no other for this fight. Could we finally see a new featherweight champion in the sport? Will the "McGregor train" come crashing down like Rousey's? Who knows. 

McGregor's kicks played a huge part in his victory at UFC 189.

For the unorthodox McGregor, confidence has been his greatest asset going into any of his fights. But everyone knows that, so let's take an in depth look at some of McGregor's effective weapons which could secure him unified gold. Distance and cage control. Conor utilizes footwork outstandingly to pressure his opponents to the cage, just look at his last fight against Mendes. A myriad of unorthodox kicks were used from the outside, so he could not be hit. Like his last fight, McGregor will have a reach advantage on his opponent. Although not as great as his advantage with Chad, he still has a 4" advantage on Jose and this potentially means his kicks from the outside could be just as deadly as they were on July 11th.

Although being smaller and having less reach than McGregor, Aldo still has a bucketful of weapons coming into this bout. One of his most effective being his impeccable muay thai, and lighting quick hands. He leads mostly with jabs and straights from the outside, setting up 1-2s to keep his opponent at a distance, but at the same time setting himself up for combinations. Jose's leaping right hand could be the perfect counter for McGregor's lunging straight left, as the lunge may shift him off balance allowing Aldo to throw the right hand.

This title fight is inevitably one you can't miss. Although he is undefeated in 10 years, it is Aldo who is the underdog coming into this fight. McGregor recently said he predicts a KO inside four minutes, and sees Jose overreacting, over-extending at every move he makes. Are we to doubt him? As he says "he hasn't been wrong yet."